


In Dick Grayson's Apartment

by AlmondRose



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Reunions, This probably sucks, hecka lotta hugs, ohhh wellllll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-22
Updated: 2016-05-22
Packaged: 2018-06-10 02:48:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6935815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlmondRose/pseuds/AlmondRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian comes back from the dead and everything seems different.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Dick Grayson's Apartment

Damian wasn’t sure how he was alive. His memories were fuzzy, at best, from dying until finding himself in a Gotham alley. He was ready to return, return to Father, be Robin again, but. It was night, and Damian found Batman (it isn’t that hard) and there was a new Robin. A girl Robin, with red hair and the short shorts and a slingshot and a cheerful attitude like Grayson or Brown and it was clear Father worked well with this girl. 

 

Damian was stunned. He hadn’t been dead that long, had he? He found a newspaper, and discovered it had been a few years. A few years for everything to change. 

 

He didn’t know what to do. So he lurked. He claimed an alley for himself, made it as nice as possible. He got himself some dark clothes, managed to find a black domino mask, and stayed in his alley. He called himself Stray, because that’s what he felt like. He made it very clear that nobody was to mess with him, but he made sure to keep under the radar so Father wouldn’t find him. He told himself it was just so he could make himself a plan. Figure out what to do. 

 

He saw Drake, as Red Robin. He saw Gordon, acting as Batgirl. He wasn’t sure where Brown was. He never saw Grayson or Cain. He actively tried to avoid Father, or the new Robin. He still saw them sometimes, and he realized why Drake was so bitter towards him.  _ Replacement _ . He liked to think Father would never, but the evidence was there. He did not know if this Robin lived with Father, or if she had parents, like Drake and Brown did. Mostly, Damian tried not to think of them. 

 

One day, after he’d been alive a few months, someone found him. He was on a rooftop near his alley when he heard footsteps behind him. 

 

“So Stray, huh,” Catwoman asked. “Is that supposed to be a cat related theme?”

 

“No,” Damian answered honestly. He wasn’t sure if she knew who he was. He did look fairly different, after all, with longer hair and he was taller and leaner. Plus she probably thought he was dead. 

 

“Why’d you chose it, then?” Kyle asked, sitting down next to him. He turned to look at her. She had no trace of recognition on her face. She also seemed to be unafraid. He knew he could kill her in an instant if he wanted. He didn’t.

 

“Because I have no home,” he said. 

 

“You could,” Kyle said. “Plenty of people would love to take in a kid like yourself. Especially ones who wear masks and give themselves names but don’t actually fight crime. You may have noticed there’s been six Robins. At least one of them started out homeless.”

 

“I wear this mask for a purpose,” he said. “Spoiler had a purpose and Batman never accepted her. I would rather not be rejected by Batman.”

 

“You can’t be rejected if you don’t try,” she said. “You never know what he’ll say.”

 

“He has a Robin right now,” Damian said. “I don’t need his charity.” He wanted it, though. He wanted so badly to march back to the Manor, or the penthouse, right then and there and demand they take him back. But he didn’t know  _ how.  _

 

“Want mine?” Kyle offered. “You seem like a good kitten. Or one with potential, anyway. And I’m all about cat names. I could train you.” 

 

“I don’t need training.”

 

“Seriously? A kid under fifteen, living alone in the streets? You’ll die. Do you even know what city this is?” 

 

“Yes,” Damian said, annoyed. “We are in Gotham. I have training. How do you think I keep people out of my alley?”

 

“I was thinking a good reputation,” Kyle said. “I don’t know.”

 

“I can keep myself alive just fine,” Damian said. “Goodbye.” Catwoman stood up. 

 

“Well,” she said. “If you ever want to rethink that...come find me.” She did a backflip and leapt away. Damian scoffed. 

 

Another month later, he got into an incident with drug dealers and when he defeated them, he told them to never mess with Stray. The only one still conscious told them he was crazy. Damian shrugged and left. He knew, with a sinking feeling in his gut, that he would be on Batman’s radar now. 

 

A week later, he was in his alley, reading a book he’d acquired. He heard someone--someone lighter than Batman, and there was only one set of footsteps--land behind him. He turned to face the mouth of the alley. A person--woman--in purple was standing there. She had on a cape and hood, with a mask over the lower half of her face. He could see familiar blonde hair falling out of the hood. He recognized her eyes. And the shade of purple she was wearing. He stayed still and stared at Spoiler. He didn’t know if she recognized him. One hand was covering her mouth, and she looked shocked. He saw tears welling up in her eyes and he knew she did. He stood up and took three steps toward her. 

 

“Spoiler,” he said stiffly. 

 

“Robin,” she said, and then he was in her arms and he didn’t fight her embrace, just let her squeeze him and his arms went around her and she was making a half choked, half laughing noise, and he realized he was smiling and tearing up too. 

 

“You’re alive,” she whispered in his ear. “Alive. Oh Damian.”

 

“You’re not Batgirl anymore,” he said. “I didn’t know--”

 

“I’m fine,” she laughed. “You’re fine.” Her arms tightened around him. “Oh  _ hell,”  _ she whispered. “Carrie. That’s why you didn’t go back.” He nodded, assuming Carrie was Robin. 

 

“I--Father he--I wasn’t expecting--”

 

“It’s fine,” she said. “It’s fine. How long has it been?” She finally pulled back from him, but she stayed kneeling on the floor. He was taller than her this way. 

 

“A few months,” he said. “Maybe more. My memory is unreliable before that.”

 

“Okay,” Stephanie said. “Okay. Want to--want to go home?” He nodded without hesitation. She would make everything okay. Stephanie was far too stubborn to let Father abandon him. She also had faked her death for a year, so she could explain his motives behind not coming back right away. She grabbed his hand and he did not pull away, even though he was thirteen--or fourteen--and did not need people to hold his hand for him. He never needed people to hold his hand, but he was sort of afraid she’d leave him if he didn’t hold on to her. 

 

She led him to an apartment, and he was confused for a minute, but then he realized they were surely going to her house, and she’d change into her civilian clothes, then maybe she'd give him food, and then they’d head to the manor. They went into the elevator with an elderly woman and Damian dropped Stephanie’s hand. The woman looked confused to why Spoiler and Stray--if she even knew who Stray was--were in her elevator. She got off on the fifth floor, although Damian and Stephanie had to wait until the top floor. They exited the elevator, and Damian took off his mask, because they were almost there. Stephanie knocked on a door.

 

“Why would you--” Damian was cut off by the door opening. He stared at the man who answered the door. Grayson stared right back. 

 

“You’re welcome,” Stephanie whispered loudly. “To both of you. You can send your gratitude in waffles or Alfred’s cookies, I’m not picky.”

 

“You’re alive,” Grayson breathed. 

 

“Yes,” Damian said. “You aren’t on patrol.”

 

“It’s my night off,” Grayson said. 

 

“Oh.” Damian could feel Stephanie looking back and forth between them. 

 

“You know what, whatever. Reunite however you want.  _ I _ got a hug. You guys can talk or stare at each other or whatever for all I care. Have fun in your emotional constipation.” 

 

“Shut up, Steph, we’re savoring it,” Dick said, and then he scooped Damian up, and Damian buried his face in Dick’s shoulder and inhaled the smell that was uniquely him. 

 

“There we go,” Stephanie whispered. “Can I take a picture? I’m taking a picture.” 

 

“You ruined the moment,” Dick said. Damian turned to glare at her. She had a purple phone out. 

 

“Oops, the picture took. Aw, it looks so accurate, with Damian glaring and Dick making a dumb face while you hug each other.”

 

“Send it to me,” Dick said. 

 

“Hypocrite,” Damian hissed. 

 

“Yeah, well, you know me,” Dick said. He turned around and headed inside, still carrying Damian. Damian suspected Dick would never put him down. “Come on, Steph.” Stephanie followed them inside, shutting the door behind her. Dick sat down on the couch, releasing Damian but keeping his arm around him. Stephanie sat on Damian’s other side. 

 

“So what happened?” Dick asked and Damian started to explain. When he was done, Dick let out a low whistle. 

 

“So...you are not mad at me?” 

 

“Why would I be mad? You didn’t know how to handle it. I wouldn’t, either.”

 

“Yeah, kid. I mean, I did almost the same thing as you did.” 

 

“Thank you,” Damian whispered, looking down at his lap. Dick chuckled and ruffled his hair. 

 

“Can I tell Batman?” Stephanie asked. Damian looked at Dick, then nodded. Stephanie pressed a button on her comm. 

 

“Psst. Batman,” she said. “Spoiler to Batman.”

 

“What?” Father’s voice said. Evidently, Stephanie had turned on speaker. Damian was not aware comms had speaker. “Where are you?”

 

“I’m fine, patrol’s going fine, I’m sure,” she said. “But. Where do you find a dead Robin?”

 

“Spoiler…” Father growled. 

 

“In Dick Grayson’s apartment. Where do you find an heir to the League of Assassins?” Father did not answer. “In Dick Grayson’s apartment. Where do you find your son? In Dick Grayson’s apartment. Where is Damian friggin’ Wayne right now?  _ In Dick Grayson’s apartment.” _

 

“He’s...he’s alive?” 

 

“Si, senor,” Stephanie said. “And he misses you~”

 

“I do not,” Damian snapped. Father’s breath caught in his throat. 

 

“I’ll be there in a minute,” he said. 

 

“We’re six minutes away!” a girl who Damian assumed was Robin said. 

 

“I’ll be there in one minute,” Father repeated. The comm shut off. 

  
“It is just like him to break all laws of physics to get here in one minute,” Dick said idly. Damian smiled. Stephanie gave Damian a one-armed hug. And one minute later, Father came in through the window with Carrie right behind him, and Damian wasn’t even that upset.


End file.
